5,585 posts
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Post by lynette on Dec 24, 2016 18:46:58 GMT
To echo Crabtree I absolutely loved The Tempest this afternoon. Second time and loved it even more. I think the techie stuff worked. It was comparable to what I suppose would have been in the original, a full on all effects 'show' but I do agree that the actual acting is what makes it shine. SRB on top form and everyone else matching him. I don't usually get 'emotional' at the end of this play but this time I did.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2016 23:12:27 GMT
I saw this on my last trip to the UK in early December and agree that the acting was the reason it was such an excellent emotionally charged show. SRB pulled all the stops out for the final part and did indeed tug at my emotions. The effects worked for me but only as a part of the excellent floor lighting and backdrop imagery. As a whole it was an impressive collaboration between Intel and the actors.
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579 posts
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Post by ncbears on Feb 2, 2017 17:32:18 GMT
I see this will be screened on 7 February, again. How was the cinema broadcast? It's coming to the States in March - although not yet close to my locale.
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Post by Jan on Feb 2, 2017 18:50:55 GMT
Seems odd there is such a big gap before the Barbican opening.
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578 posts
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Post by lou105 on Feb 2, 2017 19:13:12 GMT
I see this will be screened on 7 February, again. How was the cinema broadcast? It's coming to the States in March - although not yet close to my locale. I didn't think the storm scene came across very well, but after that it was fine. I suspect the effects in general don't work quite as well on the screen, but the performances are worth seeing anyway! I loved Joe Dixon as Caliban.
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Post by bee on Jul 9, 2017 7:40:43 GMT
I saw this at The Barbican yesterday. It's a very enjoyable production. SRB is excellent, especially the very moving final speech, and I also thought Daniel Easton and Jenny Rainsford were funny and rather sweet as Ferdinand and Miranda. As most people have said, the motion capture effects don't really add much, but some of the other visual stuff is good. I was actually pleased to have an upper circle seat as I think I got the full benefit of the floor lighting effects from there.
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2,206 posts
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 10, 2017 18:54:25 GMT
Seems odd there is such a big gap before the Barbican opening. To give SRB enough time to turn down another knighthood I heard
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523 posts
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Post by vabbian on Jul 18, 2017 22:43:26 GMT
Saw this tonight. 3/5
Was impressed with the special effects, they have made good use of the Barbican stage.
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on Jul 19, 2017 15:50:52 GMT
I thought it was fabulously staged beginning with a great shipwreck/storm/tempest scene. Superb lighting and projections and fascinating avatar computer work. Some scenes were truly beautiful to behold. It is a testament to the cast that they were not upstaged by the staging.
Edit - the Barbican is in an awful location to get to.....
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 22, 2017 21:24:24 GMT
Noooooo where were you this time theatremonkey I'm starting to think you don't look like your profile pic at all.
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Post by crabtree on Jul 22, 2017 22:00:13 GMT
yep the special effects are the least special thing about this production. The real special thing is SRB standing alone in a spot releasing the audience at the end. Beautiful and emotional and perfect and real.
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999 posts
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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 22, 2017 22:28:16 GMT
I'm aiming to try for dayseats for this. Whatever shortcomings it might have I'm sure £10 will be worth it for the good stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2017 7:16:39 GMT
Well. Someone has been hard at work on their projector slides with this one. You can't even see it when they change the sheet over and have to adjust the focus. And no-one was tempted to make shadow hand puppet animals to fill in the gaps either. I was most impressed.
It's a jolly old tale really and the evening fairly zips by and doesn't outstay its welcome. The huge set is really rather wonderful as the hull of this great ship (it's like being set in the depths of the Vasa ship) and the cast are terrific. SRB is marvellous and he just has such a wonderful voice, he sounds like he speaks Shakespeare verse in his normal everyday life it's so natural. Simon Trinder as Trinculo (with more than a hint of Reece Shearsmith as Mr Jelly in Psychoville), Joe Dixon as Caliban and James Hayes as Stephano make a great trio of comedy characters and Tom Turner is delightfully villain-esque as Sexy Sebastian. Daniel Easton is also a really lovely Ferdinand and the old gag where he is struggling with a heavy log and Miranda just picks it up easily is always funny. There's some really lovely singing going on and a nice jig to pep things up for those who like that sort of thing.
I do wonder why, if stories are to be believed, SRB turned down a knighthood when he's accepted a CBE. He would so suit being Sir SRB.
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Post by argon on Jul 23, 2017 8:26:08 GMT
Yes great for the bells & whistles in this production but SRB performance although extremely good was slightly Learish.
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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 23, 2017 10:13:49 GMT
Yes great for the bells & whistles in this production but SRB performance although extremely good was slightly Learish. Do you mean like his shouty NT Lear?
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Post by skullion on Jul 23, 2017 15:36:21 GMT
Simon Trinder as Trinculo (with more than a hint of Reece Shearsmith as Mr Jelly in Psychoville) Glad it wasn't just me who thought that!
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 23, 2017 19:57:20 GMT
This was rather lovely. Wasn't wowed by the digital ariel, human version more interesting although I did like all the changing backgrounds and use of visuals and at the start with those moving lights i'd have sworn the ship was moving, thank goodness it wasn't one of my lurching gravity days or i'd have been a goner. As noted by Ryan lovely set and cast, I really liked the Prospero/Miranda dynamic, a very mutually reassuring and physically comforting one, the mad moustaches on show from the king and his brother and the malevolence of Antonio, it seemed very much that he wouldn't be making the mistake of letting Prospero live a second time. I do like a bit of SRB Shakespeare since it always seems like the most natural speech in the world for him, I wasn't intending to but found myself propelled out of my seat at the end, it wasn't for me a production worth ovating for but the last speech clearly did something for me.
Oh and lovely comfy seat with loads of leg room! Made up for the wandering round london i did trying to get there, i suspect from above it watched it would have turned out i was going in circles as i kept coming up against building works but hey ho it means i can count going to the theatre as exercise.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 24, 2017 17:05:42 GMT
where were you this time theatremonkey Oh, and I even had my badge on... but I had shaved... I was end of stalls row D. Where were you, Peggs? I'm aiming to try for dayseats for this I think that's row A stalls - you'll love it. May even make a new friend. Say no more. I was row C stalls so odds on I passed you but didn't recognise you all clean shaven and there I was in my best plastic mac and evertyhing.
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5,585 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 24, 2017 17:52:29 GMT
The badges are too small.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 25, 2017 13:47:31 GMT
I was row C stalls so odds on I passed you but didn't recognise you all clean shaven and there I was in my best plastic mac and evertyhing. High or low numbers end, Peggs? I was 30s. Aw, would have noticed the shiny new mac for sure... mmmm 20 I think, came in from the left (there's just the one theatre at the barbican right? The stage just looked narrower than I remembered). Was out in style this weekend, plastic rainwear hanging off me with carabiners and my very small sandwiches squashed into my small bag so as to get past security.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 25, 2017 13:50:58 GMT
I like to make an impression and reassure anyone who thinks you have to dress up for the theatre that you can in fact come as a rain lady instead.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2017 11:14:37 GMT
The thing I really liked about this is that it confirms my view that no flashy special effect can compare with a great actor on a bare stage - I didn’t mind the whizzy stuff and it didn't get in the way but I don’t think it particularly added anything either.
I mostly really adored this – SRB is clear, affecting, intelligent and both Ariel and Caliban are tremendously good as well; really touching. I’m so glad they let the human Ariel rather than the CGI one take centre stage most of the time, so they didn’t lose the relationship between him and Prospero. Lovely singing also, as other people have noted. It was just a beautiful well-paced production with some well-managed comedy (not easy) and that last scene with SRB standing alone on the stage – just gorgeous.
Only two mild irritations – Antonio is supposed to be Prospero’s brother so why cast an actor young enough to be his son? Did he usurp his dukedom at the age of two? And the actress playing Miranda had an irritatingly wobbly voice during the first scene – seemed to take her a while to get it under control (unless she was doing it deliberately but I can’t imagine why she would).
Anyway, highly recommended.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jul 26, 2017 12:59:24 GMT
The age gap was big but the usurpation took place 12 years earlier so possible, it was the most hate filled, power hungry Antonio I've ever seen, a sharp contrast to Prospero and they did share a physicality so wasn't a problem for me.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2017 15:57:10 GMT
The age gap was big but the usurpation took place 12 years earlier so possible, it was the most hate filled, power hungry Antonio I've ever seen, a sharp contrast to Prospero and they did share a physicality so wasn't a problem for me. That's a really good point - because Miranda is clearly older than, say, 15 I always forget that they haven't been on the island for 20-odd years. So the brother could have been a really competitive, stroppy 18 year old fed up that his older brother with all the power spends all day in the library - makes good psychological sense!
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Post by loureviews on Jul 29, 2017 16:49:21 GMT
Just on the way back from the matinee of this. The Ariel projections are good but a bit pointless when the actor is also on the stage.
SRB is great but Miranda and Ferdinand have been done better, and the two headed monster scene has been funnier.
I don't know about a young Colin Baker but Antonio resembles a young Dinsdale Landen, doesn't he?
Good singing in the masque scene.
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Jul 30, 2017 9:34:35 GMT
This was pretty good - SRB was great, fairly pedestrian production as you'd expect from Doran, the effects worked well. Favourite bit was the CGI dog faces. Unlike other RSC transfers they seem to have rethought the staging so it worked on the Barbican stage.
Anyone who booked early and got a £10 seat in row C before rows A and B went on sale got a bargain as these are now £57! Amazing view for the price. I think Row A (which is now £10, and there are still odd seats available there) would also be fine. Seems to have sold pretty well, looked fairly full and all levels were open.
As usual at the Barbican, comfortable seats with lots of legroom. Nice coffee available in the various bars and restaurants onsite. Not keen on the toilets.
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Post by Jan on Jul 30, 2017 13:48:20 GMT
This was pretty good - SRB was great, fairly pedestrian production as you'd expect from Doran, the effects worked well. Favourite bit was the CGI dog faces. Unlike other RSC transfers they seem to have rethought the staging so it worked on the Barbican stage. Anyone who booked early and got a £10 seat in row C before rows A and B went on sale got a bargain as these are now £57! Amazing view for the price. I think Row A (which is now £10, and there are still odd seats available there) would also be fine. Seems to have sold pretty well, looked fairly full and all levels were open. As usual at the Barbican, comfortable seats with lots of legroom. Nice coffee available in the various bars and restaurants onsite. Not keen on the toilets. Just by way of information you can day ticket this for £10 and almost the whole of Row A is available.
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587 posts
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Post by Polly1 on Jul 30, 2017 13:58:29 GMT
This was pretty good - SRB was great, fairly pedestrian production as you'd expect from Doran, the effects worked well. Favourite bit was the CGI dog faces. Unlike other RSC transfers they seem to have rethought the staging so it worked on the Barbican stage. Anyone who booked early and got a £10 seat in row C before rows A and B went on sale got a bargain as these are now £57! Amazing view for the price. I think Row A (which is now £10, and there are still odd seats available there) would also be fine. Seems to have sold pretty well, looked fairly full and all levels were open. As usual at the Barbican, comfortable seats with lots of legroom. Nice coffee available in the various bars and restaurants onsite. Not keen on the toilets. I'm in row C next week. Saw it at Stratford, bought tickets for friends, at £10 too good to pass up. Is it possible to see the lighting effects on the stage from this row? I was worried it would be too low down.
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Post by loureviews on Jul 30, 2017 14:06:35 GMT
Yes, you won't have a problem Polly. I was in Row D yesterday and it was fine. (Although wish I'd found a £10 ticket!).
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Jul 30, 2017 14:52:03 GMT
Yes, fine from row C. We had a great view of Simon Russell Beale's CGI ring.
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